Capillary Action crafts an intense, offbeat brew of avant-jazz and other stuff

Will Rogers once joked: “If you don’t
like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a
minute and it will change.” And if you
don’t like a Capillary Action song, just wait 20
seconds. It’s bound to change.

Fronted by founder, singer and songwriter
Jonathan Pfeffer, Capillary Action authors music
that is as jarring and unpredictable as a highspeed
trip down a pothole-infested street that ends
with a 30-foot ramp into a ravine. Songs gather
steam — only to deflate entirely. Time signatures
fluctuate manically. Beats stammer and feel as
though they could fly apart at any second.

It all makes for an uncommon and electrifying
— and not exactly relaxing — listen. One that
makes a listener ask, “Who came up with this
stuff, and why?”

Pfeffer, who was a visual arts major, says it’s
supposed to be artistically ambiguous. Capillary
Action is an outlet to express himself in the most
creative way possible.

“I’m not out to be obtuse or try and surprise
the audience,” he says. “It’s not a gimmick. It’s
just what I’m interested in — aesthetically.”

“The songs come out of something very intense and
emotional, and I want the audience to feel that. I want to
engage people and make them feel something, but at the
same time, keep it emotionally ambiguous.”

Capillary Action is currently touring behind their
new album, Capsized, which despite a more finessed
sound, may not be any more accessible than past work.
So Embarrassing, their 2008 album, held some hard-rock
appeal, as it punctuated the quirky song structures with
blinding bursts of noise and distortion. The new album
smooths over those rough edges with free jazz flourishes,
including the occasional accordion and trumpet, and
strong vocal harmonies.

“Some people said the new album is harder to get
into because it doesn’t have those hard-rock touch
points,” Pfeffer says. “Others have said it’s much
more accessible. I’ve heard both sides.”

The current tour is one the band spent months
preparing for. Music as complex and exacting as
Capillary Action’s can’t be played sloppily, and
Pfeffer knows it. All the moving parts take time to
rehearse and perfect, so it’s not uncommon for the
band to spend 10- to 12-hour days getting ready to hit
the road.

As for the date in Spokane, Pfeffer can’t wait.

“Honestly — and I’m not just saying this — Spokane
is one of my favorite places to play. Everytime
we’ve played, they just seem to love us up
there.”

According to fans, the band’s brand of perpetual
motion — combined with the fact that all five
band members play multiple instruments — makes for
a exhilarating live show.

Plus, the shifting, ever-changing sounds of Capillary
Action might just be the perfect soundtrack for
the shifting, ever-changing springtime weather in the
Northwest.